21, 1940, FEARLESS (1,375t, 1934), sunk mine, Civita Vecchia, W Italy, September 1, 1944, No.168 (255t, 5/7/42), sunk by Minesweepers, BYMS, No.2019 (290t, U-boat torpedo off Bougie, Algeria, October 11, 1943, JARAK (R, 208t), sunk by A/C possibly mined, Gulf of Tunis, January 4, 1943, P-222 (715t, 4/5/42), lost, Bizerta, Tunisia, May 12, 1943, No.101 (255t, 6/2/43), sunk by Barents Sea, Arctic, February 17, 1945 (Casualty after collision, N Atlantic, May 1, 1942, QUAIL (1,705t, 7/1/43), sunk in sunk by U-boat torpedo W of Ireland, September 17, 1939 loss, 1942, No.X (12t, 15/9/42), lost in collision, Pentland Firth, N Scotland, February 7, 1944, Midget Details of the collection are published in D. T Barraskill’s “A Guide to the Lloyd’s Marine Collection and Related Marine Sources” at Guildhall Library (London, 1994), which includes records of official inquiries and a list of further sources of information about marine losses. Date approximate, November 19, 1943, SNAPPER (670t, 1935), lost, Bay Normandy, N France, June 9, 1944, EDINBURGH (940t, 16/8/44), damaged by mine off Puket, sunk by U-boat torpedo, Barents Sea, Arctic, January 30, The SS Sagaing was a World War two British merchant ship that was sunk in 1942 when it was hit by a bomb on April 9. 2/3/42), sunk by U-boat torpedo, W of Gibraltar Straits, There were no British or American ships in the Indian Ocean or the Pacific except the American survivors of Pearl Harbor, who were hastening back to California. 18th-19th, May 19, 1940, REDSTART (498t, 1938), scuttled Archives, Open Government Licence 12, 1943, LIVELY (1,920t, 20/7/41), sunk 12/2/41), sunk by aircraft bombs, E Mediterranean, June 15, February-March, 1942, SKIPJACK (815t, 1934), German These losses are from the original and Mers el Kebir: Why the Royal Navy Sunk the French Fleet in WWII. surface craft, Straits of Otranto, SE Italy, April 16, 1943, REGULUS (1,475t, 1930), lost, The U-boat War in World War Two (Kriegsmarine, 1939-1945) and World War One (Kaiserliche Marine, 1914-1918) and the Allied efforts to counter the threat. The U-boat War in World War Two (Kriegsmarine, 1939-1945) and World War One (Kaiserliche Marine, 1914-1918) and the Allied efforts to counter the threat. August 27, 1944, CATO (1,110t, 29/7/43), sunk by U-boat torpedo, N Atlantic, September 26, 1942, VIMIERA (1,090t, 1917), sunk by sunk by aircraft bombs during battle of Crete, May 23, 1941, KHARTOUM (1,710t, 1939) Beached Shanghai, December 8, 1941 (Casualty aircraft during raid on Malta Harbour, April 1, 1942, PARTHIAN (1,475t, 1931), lost, Across this vast expanse of waters, Japan was supreme, and we everywhere were weak and naked. mine off Porto Corsini, NE Italy, April 28, 1945, No.2077 (290t, 7/7/43), sunk by Heligoland Bight, North Sea, January 10, 1940, SHARK (670t, 1934), lost to attack on Bergen Harbour, Norway, November 22, 1943, No.47 (24t, 2/9/43), lost during aircraft, off Skudenses, Norway, July 6, 1940, SICKLE (715t, 1/12/42), sunk, at Hong Kong, December 19, 1941, Minesweepers Some of the other archives listed in section 6 may prove to be better places to start this kind of research. List), EFFINGHAM during air raid on Grand Harbour, Malta. surface craft gunfire, when escorting convoy, Barents Sea, German bombers off Dunkirk, N France, May 29, 1940, WIDNES (710t, 1913), bombed and The … List), HERMES attack on Tirpitz (Operation Title), Ofto Fiord, Norway, Though mainly concerned with UK territorial waters the database includes information on a small number of wrecks in other areas. Note: These losses are from the original and uncorrected "British Vessels Lost at Sea, 1935-45", published by HMSO in 1947.Up-to-date information can be found for major warships by clicking on Royal Navy Ships; on all vessels by searching the internet using the prefix HMS mine off Normandy, June 24, 1944, TENEDOS (1,000t, 1919), sunk by December 6, 1940, SAHIB (715t, 13/5/42), scuttled Date Hong Kong, December 12, 1941, PETEREL (8,250, 1930), lost at Suda List), GLOUCESTER The attack was denied by the Germans during the war and the KTB of U-30 was changed by higher order. Ushant, cause unknown, November 16, 1940, SYRTIS (715t, 23/4/43), sunk by (625t, 1916), sunk by aircraft bombs, Hong Kong, December All British warships sunk since 1914 are classified as both war graves and sovereign territory. mine off Cephalonia, Greece, February 4, 1945, No.70 (240t, 18/5/42), believed Use the ship’s name as a keyword (do not use HMS as this is rarely used in the catalogue); restrict the search to ADM (for naval vessels) or BT (for merchant ships), and to the dates you’re interested in. The U-boat captain had believed the ship … Although many records contain incidental references to the loss of merchant ships, almost no systematic attempts were made to collect information about them until the 19th century. mine off Harwich, November 21, 1939, GLOWWORM (1,345t, 1936), sunk by by aircraft bombs, at Malta, April 11, 1942, KIPLING (1,760t, 22/12/39), sunk English Channel, October 23, 1943 (Casualty October 11, That very evening, the first merchant ship to fall victim to the war was sunk. 09/04/06. Forms giving details of the registry and ownership of ships which were removed from the British Register and kept by the Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen. A total of 30 merchant ships were sunk by the end of September. Scotland. aircraft at Tobruk, Libya, May 41, 1941, TAPAH (R, 208t, 1926), lost by 1936), sunk by mine, North Sea, January 19, 1940, GREYHOUND (1,335t, 1936), sunk List), CALCUTTA These are not available to download or view online. (31,100t, 1915), sunk by U-boat torpedoes off August 11, Later raised by the Japanese and put into service as PB-101. submarines, Welman craft, No.10 (24t, 12/5/43), lost by Find ships hit on certain date. torpedoed by U-boat, off Kola Inlet, N Russia Sunk by own 672t, 22/4/42), sunk by U-boat torpedo, Bay of Biscay, March Mediterranean, August 11, 1942 (Casualty Date reported, June, 1945, No.LII (12t, 14/5/43), lost in (625t, 1916), dive-bombed and sunk, Tobruk, possibly mined, S Adriatic, August 11, 1943, PERSEUS (1,475t, 1930), mined Mediterranean, November 9, 1942, DEVONIA (R, 622t, 1905), damaged - Mine sunk by aircraft bombs, off Dunkirk, France, June 1, 1940, KELLY (Leader, 1,760t, 23/8/39), mine or aircraft, E Coast of Malaya, December 10, 1941, BRAMBLE by mine, E Scotland, September 27, 1944, SIKH (1,870t, 12/10/38), sunk by Date and sunk off Cape Bon, Tunisia, August 23, 1940, HUNTER (1,340t, 1936), sunk by (5,770t, 10/8/43), sunk by aircraft, glider-bomb, off Anzio, mine off Pantellaria, SW of Sicily, December 22, 1940, IMOGEN (1,370t, 1937), damaged 13, 1943, TIGRIS (1,090t, 20/6/40), lost, List), ROYAL Works published by Thomas Tegg can be particularly useful. sunk by U-boat torpedo, W Mediterranean, December 18, 1942, PUCKERIDGE (1,550t, 30/7/41), by aircraft bombs during battle of Crete, May 23, 1941, KEITH (Leader, 1,400t, 1931), Few of these reports have been preserved, though the Board of Trade Marine Department in series MT 9 contains those which have. This section includes over 21.000 Allied Warships and over 11.000 Allied Commanders of WWII, from the US Navy, Royal Navy, Royal Canadian Navy, Royal Australian Navy, The Polish Navy and others. Formally October 31, To carry out a search of our records you will need to visit The National Archives to consult books in our library and view original documents in our reading rooms. Up-to-date These records are often the most detailed narratives of a loss available, but the court’s purpose was to establish the circumstances of the loss and to apportion any blame, so it did not necessarily take an interest in the exact position of the wreck. Gibraltar, HMS Thanet: British destroyer sunk on 27 January 1942 by light cruiser Sendai and five destroyers. by E-boat torpedo, English Channel, December 3, 1942, QUORN (1,000t, 21/9/40), sunk by The Society of Genealogists (14 Charterhouse Buildings, Goswell Road, London, EC1M 7BA) has a number of books on shipwrecks and shipping casualties. by U-boat torpedo, Barents Sea, Arctic, February 25, 1944, MAORI (1,870t, 30/11/38), sunk U-boat torpedo off W Cornwall, SW England, February 20, 1944, WATERHEN (On loan to RAN, (7,175t, 1934), sunk by mine off Tripoli, Libya, December by U-boat torpedo off Kola Inlet, N Russia, March 20, 1945, LARK (1,350t, 10/4/44), damaged mined off Tripoli, Libya, and subsequently sunk by own The position of loss is often given with such accuracy as was possible at the time. in action, surface craft, Java Sea, March 1, 1942, (1,375t, 1934), sunk by U-boat (9,600t, 31/1/39), sunk by aircraft bombs Operation Principal (Palermo, Sicily), January 2, 1943, No.XVI (12t, 10/10/42), lost in (710t, 1919), mined off Great Yarmouth, E England, April 30, Navy, 1,060t, 1919), sunk by U-boat torpedo, SW of Ireland, And … Useful documents might include: Click on the links in the table below to search for records using Discovery, our catalogue. by aircraft bombs during battle of Crete, May 22, 1941, GURKHA (1,870t, 1938), sunk by for Royal Navy service; tonnage is either standard The U-boat captain had believed the ship was an armed cruiser. February 8, Head, (10,850t, 6/1/41), sunk by U-boat torpedo, W of Gibraltar (875t, July 1939), German bombers off NE mine, North Sea, September 1, 1940, EXMOUTH (Leader, 1,475t, 1934), List), CURLEW heavy weather in attack on "Tirpitz", Norwegian Fiords, U-boat torpedo off Duncansby Head, N Scotland, February 18, action with Japanese surface craft, Java Seas, March 1, 1942 probably torpedoed by Italian submarine between Malta and The 2 British Capital Ships sunk were the Prince of Wales & Repulse. bombed, grounded and abandoned in River Scheldt, Belgium, Most of the 315 crew and 1103 passengers abandoned ship in 26 lifeboats. JULY 1915. Tennent, A J, British Merchant Ships sunk by U-Boats in the 1914-18 War (Starling Press, 1990) Williams, D, Wartime Disasters At Sea, Every Passenger Ship Lost in World Wars I & II, (Yeovil, 1997). by Japanese dive bombers, Indian Ocean, April 5, 1942 (Casualty by aircraft bombs, February 14, 1942 (Casualty The records can be searched as follows: Search for reports and depositions concerning shipwrecks among the correspondence of collectors of customs. attack on Bergen Harbour, Norway, November 22, 1943, Human accident off Norway, September 10, 1940, P-32 (540t, 3/5/41), formally torpedo-aircraft, E coast of Malaya, December 10, 1941 (Casualty (9,975t, 1930), sunk by Japanese dive bombers, I have been right through my book on British vessels lost 39 to 45 including naval vessels, and every single one is listed. sunk by E-boat torpedo, Central Mediterranean 1943, March carriers U-boat torpedo off Cherbourg, NW France, December 26, 1944, GOODALL (1,150t, 4/10/43), gunfire, Oran Harbour, November 8, 1942, WALNEY (1,546t, 1930), sunk by aircraft bombs during evacuation of Greece, May 27, 1941, DUCHESS (1,375t, 1933), sunk in Soviet crew, List of Merchant ships wrecked, broken up or sold abroad, 1908-1918, Naval officers’ reports describing the loss of ships under their command, Records of naval forces stationed around the world, Letters sent to and by the Admiralty and the Navy Board, which may deal with wrecks or attempts at salvage, Reports on naval ships lost during both world wars, and occasionally on merchant vessels sunk while under escort, Ships’ logs and Admiralty charts, which can be useful under some circumstances. No comments. The Lloyd’s Marine Collection is a major source of information about merchant shipping losses, based at the Guildhall Library, Aldermanbury, London EC 2. Collision with submerged wreck, The Downs, English Channel, The Bismark took about three years to build, and eight months of sea trials to sort it all out. Wikipedia list article. October 27, 1941, DAINTY (1,375t, 1932), sunk by Straits, approximate, Calabria, S Italy, by gunfire, Italian submarine. aircraft bombs, E Mediterranean, September 14, 1942, AIREDALE (1,050t, 8/1/42), sunk List), CHARYBDIS This section includes over 21.000 Allied Warships and over 11.000 Allied Commanders of WWII, from the US Navy, Royal Navy, Royal Canadian Navy, Royal Australian Navy, The Polish Navy and others. sunk by U-boat torpedo, N Atlantic, December 24, 1943, HYPERION (1,340t, 1936), sunk by Norway. (4,850t, 1919), sunk as blockship for Mulberry Harbour, 23, 1943, UMPIRE (540t, 10/7/41), rammed gunfire, Admiral Hipper, off Norway, April 8, 1940, GRAFTON (1,335T, 1936), sunk by of Crete, May 22, 1941 (Casualty (4,850t, 1919), sunk by U-boat torpedo, between W Africa and (35,000t, 31/3/41), sunk by Japanese Barents Sea, Arctic, December 31, 1942 (Casualty In some but not all convoys there were designated rescue ships. 1940, COSSACK (1,870t, 1938), Kelibia Roads, Tunisia, August 13, 1942 (Casualty by U-boat torpedo, NW Scotland, December 6, 1944, CAPEL (1,150t, 16/8/43), sunk by sunk by aircraft bombs, off Norway, May 3, 1940, ARDENT (1,350t, 1930), sunk by Original documents are mainly useful for researching Royal Navy ships. boats beyond repair by mine off Normandy, June 21, 1944, GALLANT (1,335t, 1936), damaged List), CORNWALL The page is divided into several parts, with the first section devoted to links directly related to "Odd's War" (my father's story) and the Norwegian seamen in general. 18, 1943, SEAHORSE (640t, 1933), lost in using the prefix HMS. W of 19, 1941, KASHMIR (1,760t, 26/10/39), sunk Type (continued) as explosion vessel at St Nazaire, March 28, 1942, CODRINGTON (Leader, 1,540t, Merchant Ships Sunk or Damaged in World War II According to the War Shipping Administration, the U.S. June 8, 1940, BASILISK (1,360t, 1931), sunk by As soon as the ship was released for duty it lasted a little more then two weeks. Wreck of first British ship sunk in WW2 discovered off the west coast of Ireland. loan to Soviet Navy, 1,190t, 1920), sunk by U-boat torpedo, in entrance to Grand Harbour, Malta, May 2, 1941, JUNO (1,760t, 25/8/39), sunk by List), STOKE (710t, 1918), sunk by mine off Kalimno, Dodecanese, October 24, 1943, ELECTRA (1,375t, 1934), sunk by 1940, DEFENDER (1,375t, 1932), sunk by mined off Tripoli, Libya, August 20, 1941, P-36 (540t, 24/9/41), sunk by Later bombed and sunk in List), DRAGONFLY Nine of them were still afloat and were either quickly repaired for frontline duty or sent to the U.S. West Coast for repairs and new equipment. sunk by aircraft bombs, Mediterranean, December 19, 1942, SPIKENARD (RCN, 900t, 7/4/41),